Independent and separately actuated combination fitness machine

ABSTRACT

An exercise apparatus combining a stationary bike and upper body extremity hand cycle, includes an upper hand crank assembly rotatable under a resistance load for upper body conditioning and a lower foot crank assembly rotatable under a resistance load for lower body conditioning. The upper hand crank assembly and lower foot crank assembly are independently connected to the resistance load through respective upper and lower driving belts. Either an upper clutch or lower clutch, communicating with the upper or lower crank assemblies respectively, selectively engages the driving belts to drive the resistance load. The upper and lower crank assemblies are independent of each other, and each is operable to separately engage the resistance load to transfer the resistance load to the respective upper hand crank assembly or lower foot crank assembly.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 60/565,547 filed Apr. 27, 2004, entitled “Independentand Separately Actuated Combination Fitness Machine”, which is herebyincorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to cardiovascular fitness equipment, andmore particularly, to a combination stationary upper body extremityexercise hand cycle and stationary bicycle where the rotation of theupper and lower cranks is independent of each other, and where eachcrank is capable of separately and independently driving a resistanceload.

2. Description of the Related Art

Heart disease is the leading cause of death among Americans. More sothan others, the millions of people with mobility impairments are at ahigher risk due to lack of access to cardiovascular exercise.Historically, people with disabilities have fewer opportunities forcardiovascular workouts in a local or national fitness chain due to thelack of availability of proper equipment, especially for combinationstationary bikes and upper body extremity (UBE) hand cycles.

While most fitness centers have stationary bikes, very few have UBE handcycles, or combination stationary bikes and UBE hand cycles. These aremostly found at rehabilitation centers. For the person with lower bodyimmobility, the stationary bike is useless and access to a hand cycle islimited. For the person with upper body immobility, the stationary bikeis usable, but there is no way to exercise the upper body.

While combination UBE and stationary bikes exist, they do have certaindrawbacks. First, they are generally more expensive pieces of exerciseequipment. Many mobility-impaired persons cannot afford a combinationstationary bike/UBE home model because of the prohibitive cost. As moredata confirms the link between heart disease and chronic immobility dueto disability, affordable accessible in-home workout equipment iscritical to the health and quality of life of the disabled population.

Another drawback for existing combination UBE/stationary bikes is thecrankshafts for the upper UBE handgrips and the lower foot pedals spinin unison. Therefore, a person who merely wants to exercise the lowerbody using the stationary bike portion is confronted with a spinninghand cycle at eye level during the exercise. Conversely, a person whomerely wants to exercise the upper body using the hand cycle portion isconfronted with spinning foot pedals that may inadvertently contact thelower body and cause injury.

Therefore, a need exists for a combination stationary upper bodyextremity exercise hand cycle and stationary bicycle that is suitablefor distribution to private and commercial customers, and hasindependently actuated upper and lower cranks to drive a singleresistance load.

While people with disabilities are the primary beneficiary, it isdesigned to meet the needs of people with and without disabilities. Itsmultifunctional use as an upper and lower body strengthening andcardiovascular machine provides other advantages described herein.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

To overcome these and other disadvantages of the prior art, it is anobject of the present invention to provide an exercise apparatuscombining a stationary bike and upper body extremity hand cycle,comprising an upper hand crank assembly rotatable under a resistanceload for upper body conditioning and a lower foot crank assemblyrotatable under a resistance load for lower body conditioning. The upperhand crank assembly and lower foot crank assembly are independentlyconnected to a resistance means through respective upper and lowerdriving belts. Upper and lower clutch assemblies provide the drivingforce from the respective crank assemblies to the resistance means. Thefirst and second driving forces are independent of each other, and eachis operable to separately engage the resistance means to provide theresistance load to the respective upper hand crank assembly or lowerfoot crank assembly.

The invention will allow people with mobility impairments such as spinalcord injury, temporary disabilities and stroke to achieve acardiovascular workout either from their wheelchair, via a wheelchairtie down feature, or via a prefabricated adjustable level seat.

Since the foot cranks work independently of the hand cranks, thisfeature enables industries such as hotels with in-house gyms to purchaseone piece of equipment that meets the needs of customers with andwithout disabilities. The invention is designed for economicalmanufacturing, while satisfying the dual purpose of both an upper bodyextremity (UBE) machine and that of a stationary bicycle.

The upper hand crank assembly and lower foot crank assembly arerotatable in either a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction toselectively engage the resistance means.

The invention will change the way consumers view the upper bodyextremity machine; from being solely used by or for people withdisabilities to a valuable exercise tool that can be used by all tomaintain and improve upper and lower body strength and cardiovascularfitness. The invention may be manufactured with Braille features for thesight impaired and custom knobs for those with limited hand function.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The above objects and other advantages of the present invention willbecome more apparent by describing in detail the preferred embodimentsthereof with reference to the attached drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of a pedalassembly of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a completed perspective view of the pedal assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is side view, cut away, of an embodiment of the main mechanicalcomponents of the present invention, including the upper and lowercranks, belts, resistance means, and their interconnections;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a mechanical clutchassembly at each of the upper and lower cranks; and

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of the entirecombination UBE/stationary bike.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention will now be described more fully with reference tothe accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of theinvention are shown. The invention may, however, be embodied in manydifferent forms and should not be construed as being limited to theembodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided sothat this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fullyconvey the concept of the invention to those skilled in the art.

Referring to FIG. 1, there is provided an exploded perspective view ofthe pedal assembly 10 usable with the hand pedals or foot pedals of thedisclosed embodiments. FIG. 2 is the perspective view of the configuredpedal assembly of FIG. 1.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, the large disk acts as a cam 12 and the smaller disk,acting as a follower roller 14, is connected to each rotating arm 16,and follows a path defined by the outer circumference of the cam 12.Note that the follower roller 14 does not follow a path defined by aninside or integral channel formed within the cam 12, resulting in a moreefficient manufacturing process.

The follower roller 14 is free to turn with respect to each rotating arm16. The center of the cam 12 is offset from the axle 22, defining thepivot point of the rotating arms 16, by an offset amount 18 required bygood human ergonomics. This offset amount 18 results in the pedals 20following an elliptical path, as described further below, consideredoptimum for human ergonomics. One or ordinary skill in the art couldreadily configure this offset amount 18 to ensure good human ergonomics.

The pedal post and cylindrical outer portion 17 of the rotating arm 16are rigidly connected but the pedal 20 is free to rotate relative to thearm 16. In FIGS. 1 and 2, the pedal 20 is depicted as a typical footpedal, which would be usable to exercise the lower body. One of ordinaryskill in the art will realize the pedal 20 could be configured as ahandgrip that would be typical of a hand cycle grip and usable toexercise the upper body.

The cylindrical outer portion 17 of the rotating arm 16 slides withinthe rectangular inner portion 19 of the rotating arm 16, and thefollower roller 14 is held in contact with the cam 12 via an internalcoiled extension spring 21. The internal coiled spring 21 suppliessufficient force to maintain contact between the follower roller 14 andthe cam 12 when the operator is applying force to the pedals 20.

The rectangular inner portion 19 of the rotating arm 16 contains asquare hole 23 that indexes onto a square shoulder 24 on each end of theaxle 22 and thus the pedals 20 can be offset from each other inincrements of 90 degrees, although more or less angular offset iscontemplated by changing the configuration of the hole 23 and shoulder24 accordingly. In FIGS. 1 and 2, a pedal offset of 90 degrees is shown.

While the resulting motion of the pedals 20 is circular about the axle22, the overall motion experienced by the operator is elliptical sincethe radial length of the rotating arm 16 varies due to the spring-loaded21 sliding interaction between the rotating arm 16, follower roller 14,and the circumference of the cam 12. Therefore, the amount of forceexerted by the operator is varied throughout the arc of rotation andresults in a more ergonomic motion. However, as shown in FIG. 4, thepedal assembly axis of rotation may be co-extensive with the cam axis toprovide purely circular motion.

As shown in FIG. 3, exercise machine users can begin the exercise byturning either the upper 40 or a lower 10 set of cranks. In thisembodiment, the rotation of the cranks 10 and 40 is independent of eachother as described further below. Therefore, the machine can be started,and complete operation of the machine is possible with either set ofcranks 10 and 40 turning in either a clockwise or counter-clockwisedirection.

When either crank 10 or 40 is rotated in either direction, the rotatingcrank turns a resistance means, for example, a permanent magnetalternator 50, through connections of a series of one of two belts 70 aor 70 b (one for each crank 10 or 40), and a third belt 70 c between anidler shaft 60 and the alternator 50. The invention is not limited to aspecific resistance means, and other equivalent resistance means arecontemplated within the scope of this invention. The belt drivesincrease the operator's pedal speed by a ratio of 49 times, althoughother ratios are contemplated within the scope of this invention. Allthree belts 70 a, 70 b and 70 c spin when the operator is pedalingeither the upper crank 40 or lower crank 10, however, two centrifugalmechanical clutches 80 as shown in FIG. 4 (one at each upper and lowerpedal shaft) prevent both sets of pedals from spinning together. Theclutches 80 automatically engage, through centrifugal force, upon theuser beginning rotation in either direction on either set of cranks.Other conventional clutches are contemplated within the scope of thepresent invention, so long as independent operation and actuation ismaintained. FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the entire exercise apparatus200, and is incorporated to depict the interaction of the constituentparts and to provide greater orientation clarity.

The alternator 50 begins generating a quantity of electricity exactlyregulated electronically (with various modes described further below) tomatch the resistance the operator has requested through the input panel90 as shown in FIG. 3. Thus, no additional power needs to be dissipatedthrough heat, thereby generating the right amount of power at all times.The quantity of electricity is generated regardless of the direction ofpedal rotation—either clockwise or counter-clockwise. The bidirectionalelectromagnetic resistance is capable of variable resistance in therange of about 0-3000 watts power resistance.

The resistance is supplied through an electromagnet that transfers forcedirectly to the spinning flywheel containing the permanent magnets ofthe alternator. User-created programs are stored for a period of timevia a rechargeable battery contained within the unit. Memory retentionwill be dependant on available power. If the exercise machine is unusedfor an extended period of time, the battery may drain causing a loss ofprogrammed values. Otherwise memory retention will be indefinite. Thisbattery supplies enough power to supply the electronics memory and notthe unit itself. However, the generative power operation allowsoperation independent of a power source, since the battery power can beused to start the machine, and the user will provide the operating powerthrough regeneration. Normally turning either of the cranks in eitherdirection as described previously starts the machine.

Electronically, the “resistance-power produced” ratio is varied tosupply several different kinds of workouts to the user. The inventionmay incorporate an easy-to-read display, which includes a heart ratecontrol program and computer controlled isokinetic modes. A Braillefront display may also be incorporated and may include user-friendlybutton entry to simplify its use.

The exercise machine is capable of several operating modes, including(i) Manual—manual operation of resistance level; (ii) Heart Rate—manualsetting of target heart rate and the control unit will adjust resistancelevel to maintain targeted heart rate; (iii) Workload Control—manualsetting of resistance level in watts and the control unit will maintaina constant resistance load independent of speed; (iv) Isokinetic—manualsetting of maximum RPM and the control until will adjust resistancelevel to prevent user from exceeding maximum RPM setting; (v)Random—control unit randomly varies resistance and length of time ateach level; or (vi) Geographic Profiles—control unit varies resistanceand length of time at each level in multiple pre-programmed profileswith multiple levels of intensity at each to simulate variousgeographical profiles (hill climb/descent, etc.)

Embodiments of the present invention may also include the followingfeatures, attributes, and capabilities to appeal to all users: (i) stepthrough seating makes getting on and off the exercise machine quick andeasy. As shown in FIG. 3, the installed seating system 100 adjustsvertically 102, and slides horizontally along a track 104 on the base ofthe machine with reclining seats as well; (ii) bi-directional resistanceallows a user to exercise reciprocal muscle groups, which is ideal foroverall balance of exercise and therapy settings; (iii) isokinetic modefor resistance and strength training; (iv) workout dependent orindependent of pedal speed; (v) electromagnetic brake providesresistance for quiet operation, 0-3000 watts; (vi) adjustable crank armsprovide the ability to add or reduce range of motion. Range settings areat 6″, 7″ and 8″ for example, although other ranges are contemplated.Either side crank can be reversed so the unit's crank arms work inunison. Similar to a rotary rowing motion, both forward and reversemotions are accommodated. This is ideal for medical situations wheretorso rotation is undesirable. It is also more natural for wheelchairracers or hand cyclists. The multiple position angles of the crank armsallow 180-degree radial-opposed orientation, or zero-degreeradial-opposed alignment; (vii) height adjustable and reclining seat isideal for therapy protocol and maintaining balance; (viii) no minimumRPM, making it ideal for rehabilitation and deconditioned users; (ix)wheelchair tie downs are adjustable straps with clips on each end. Theyattach to the wheelchair and the front and rear of the exercise cycle.The wheelchair straps secure the front and rear of a chair at fourpoints, for example, on the base of the machine that will be fastened bynylon adjustable straps. The machine is designed to accommodate thissecuring mechanism by adding this as an optional feature without makingadditional modifications aftermarket. Any number of wheelchair tie-downsis contemplated; (x) assist gloves in a variety of sizes with a Velcrolooping system to keep the hands fixed to the crank arms; and (xi) aheart rate transmitter w/chest strap used as an option for monitoringthe heart rate.

While the present invention has been described in detail with referenceto the preferred embodiments thereof, it should be understood to thoseskilled in the art that various changes, substitutions and alterationscan be made hereto without departing from the scope of the invention asdefined by the appended claims.

1. An exercise apparatus combining a stationary bike and upper bodyextremity hand cycle, comprising: an upper hand crank assembly rotatableunder a resistance load for upper body conditioning; a lower foot crankassembly rotatable under the resistance load for lower bodyconditioning; a resistance means for providing the resistance load,wherein the upper hand crank assembly and lower foot crank assembly areindependently connected to the resistance means through respective upperand lower driving belts; an upper clutch selectively engaging with theupper hand crank assembly upon rotation of the upper hand crankassembly, whereby the selective engagement of the upper clutch providesa first driving force to the resistance means via the upper drivingbelt; and a lower clutch selectively engaging with the lower foot crankassembly upon rotation of the lower foot crank assembly, whereby theselective engagement of the lower clutch provides a second driving forceto the resistance means via the lower driving belt, whereby the firstand second driving forces are independent of each other, and whereineach is operable to separately engage the resistance means to transferthe resistance load to the respective upper hand crank assembly or lowerfoot crank assembly.
 2. The exercise apparatus of claim 1, wherein theupper hand crank assembly and lower foot crank assembly are rotatable ineither a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction to selectively engagethe resistance means.
 3. The exercise apparatus of claim 2, wherein theupper and lower clutches are mechanical clutches that engage theresistance means by centrifugal force caused by rotation of the upperhand crank assembly or lower foot crank assembly, respectively.
 4. Theexercise apparatus of claim 3, wherein the resistance means comprises apermanent magnet alternator.
 5. The exercise apparatus of claim 2,wherein the upper hand crank assembly comprises, a cam having a centralaxis; an axle penetrating the cam through a point that is offset adesignated distance from the central axis; first and second adjustableelongated arms connected at a first end to each respective distal end ofthe axle; a follower roller positioned at a second end of each rotatingarm, the follower roller contacting an outer circumference of the cam; apedal means connected at the second end of the respective rotating arms,the pedal means following an elliptical path upon rotation while thefollower roller follows a circumferential path around the cam.
 6. Theexercise apparatus of claim 2, wherein the lower foot crank assemblycomprises, a cam having a central axis; an axle penetrating the camthrough a point that is offset a designated distance from the centralaxis; first and second adjustable elongated arms connected at a firstend to each respective distal end of the axle; a follower rollerpositioned at a second end of each rotating arm, the follower rollercontacting an outer circumference of the cam; a pedal means connected atthe second end of the respective rotating arms, the pedal meansfollowing an elliptical path upon rotation while the follower rollerfollows a circumferential path around the cam.